Farmworkers

In the eighth episode of the season, John Oliver discusses the attempts to limit medical abortion in Texas and the rights of farm-workers across the States. The latest NRA convention and the fact that news anchor Robert Grant has a dairy allergy also get a mention.

It has been about a decade since I watched a John Oliver production last - my introduction to the comedian was back when he worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show (1996) with Jon Stewart. I did not quite dare to hope for the same quality, and I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, the tone of Last Week Tonight is very close to that of The Daily Show in its 1999-2015 run: a satirical but never cruel commentary on some of the most acutely relevant topics. Of course, The Daily Show was just that, while Oliver's weekly programme focusses on one large theme each time, with a helping of recent headlines towards the start.

This particular episode was mostly dedicated to the rights - or lack thereof - enjoyed by farm-workers in the present-day United States. According to the statistics provided by the programme, 70% of all American agricultural labourers are foreign-born, a great majority of them in the country undocumented. In other words, there is a vulnerable population employed in a field (pun intended) where workers' rights are protected the least. The worst cases of abuse are truly tragic; it is a testament to the show's writers and to Oliver's delivery that such a grievous subject is presented in a way that both encourages sympathy and engenders wider conversation.